Funding Your SoTL Work

In June we introduced you to IU School of Medicine Anatomy Professor, Valerie O’Loughlin, who encouraged you to approach your teaching the way you approach your science. This can be done from a scholarly teaching approach where you utilize evidence-based teaching practices in your own classroom or from a SoTL approach where you conduct the research in your own classroom to establish the evidence for the teaching practice. If you’re on the edge about trying something new in your class, SoTL is a great way to take the plunge.

There are a number of funding opportunities for these types of projects internal to IU. FACET sponsors the Mack Fellows program for full-time faculty to conduct ambitious research pertaining to teaching and learning. The Mosaic initiative offers a fellowship program for faculty interested in examining teaching and learning in active learning spaces. When you’re ready to expand your SoTL work beyond your individual classroom, the Center for Learning Analytics and Student Success (CLASS) offers a learning analytics fellowship program.

The CITL also provides a number of grants for faculty members to study teaching & learning. The SoTL program sponsors a grant program with two opportunities each academic year to propose a project; fall and spring. Full-time faculty may apply for funding at three different levels ranging from $2,000- $12,000 based on the complexity of the project. All proposals are peer-reviewed by past SoTL grant awardees and SoTL advisory board members.

Have an idea for a SoTL project, but not sure if it’s fundable? Look at some of the SoTL work colleagues are conducting. Twenty-seven SoTL projects were shared at the SoTL Showcase this past September. The abstracts for each of these projects are available in the SoTL Showcase program. You can also view additional SoTL projects by discipline or keyword in the SoTL database.

If you are interested in applying for a fall CITL grant, you may learn more on the SoTL grants page. Proposals are due by Monday, November 26, 2018 at 9 a.m. If you have questions about the proposal process, contact Shannon Sipes.